We offer FREE Consultations to anyone who may need help or for anyone who has a loved one or friend who is addicted to opiates.

We provide medication assisted treatment in addition to counseling services designed to improve the quality of life of those suffering from addiction.

Services begin with a comprehensive evaluation by trained medical and counseling personnel experienced in the treatment of addiction.

Based on the evaluation, we design a custom treatment plan tailored to each individual’s specific needs and circumstances.

The treatment plan may include the use of FDA approved medications such as methadone or buprenorphine (in the form of film or tablet).

Evidence-based cognitive behavioral and motivational counseling services are also provided based on the level of need up to and including an intensive outpatient program.

For most who begin recreational use of drugs, including heroin and prescription pain relievers, physiological dependence often comes as a surprise. Most begin to experience mild discomfort after the drugs begin to "wear off"… [read more ]

We offer a flexible, multi-level Outpatient Program for patients who are seeking effective treatment for addictions. Our state licensed Outpatient Program is designed for Patients who do not require - or who have competed [read more]

The hardest part of solving any problem is taking the first step. That's why we are always happy to discuss your problem confidentially and anonymously until you are able to take that step. Appointments are available for ... [read more ]

Some of Our Success Stories
College Student

Hi , my name is Courtney and I am a junior in college and addicted to heroin. I have
been using heroin for several years and college is getting harder. I am not sure the coursework is harder.
I think it is my addiction that causes me to lose focus. It was time for me to get help and I went to AMS
of Wisconsin for medicated assisted treatment and have gotten my life back. I go to school and work and
even have a little time for fun. For me it is 6 months clean of opiates and I feel so much better.

Some of Our Success Stories
Couple

I'm Cindy, and I am Jason, and our story begins with addiction to opiates and heroin. As a
couple with two small children we found ourselves in deep trouble and addiction. All of our money was
going to purchase illegal substances and we felt very guilty but yet helpless. We did love our children
but Child Protective Services was contacted and we were very worried about losing custody of our
children. Four months after choosing medicated assisted treatment at AMS of Wisconsin our lives have
improved greatly and we are on the road to a healthy life for both of us and our children. We want
others out there suffering from addiction to know that there is hope and your life can get better.

Some of Our Success Stories
Trades

My name is Jeremy and I am a carpenter and a heroin addict. I love the outdoors, working,
fishing and hunting in it. My addiction was causing me to lose everything that I really cared about. I
nearly lost my job and I wasn’t hunting and fishing any more and my family life was suffering greatly.
My best friend told me about AMS of Wisconsin and that medicated assisted treatment could work
for me. I started my treatment and felt like there was hope for me again. I have since told a few of my
friends about treatment because the same things were happening to them. I know several people
who have started out with an injury and taking a drug prescribed for them and ended up with a heroin
addiction never thinking this could possibly happen to them.

With issues stemming from meth and heroin abuse becoming more prevalent in Wisconsin, lawmakers have turned their attention to fighting addiction and drug abuse.

In 2015, Gov. Scott Walker asked a special task force to combat the heroin and opioid epidemic in Wisconsin. Republican Rep. John Nygren and Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch are the co-heads of the taskforce.

Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch

Kleefisch stressed its importance, citing the vast number of demographics involved with heroin abuse.

“This task force, upon the request of the Governor (Walker) is really a wonderful idea to assure public policy solutions for a crisis that clearly is very, very harmful, not for one specific region, not one specific demographic, but all across Wisconsin,” Kleefisch said.

In 2013, the Heroin, Opioid, Prevention, and Education (HOPE) Agenda, a legislative effort to combat the state’s heroin epidemic, was formed.

HOPE has made things like Naloxone (used in reversing the effects of an overdose) available for purchase without a prescription, but one of the biggest contributions has been the Prescription Drug Monitoring Problem.

Rep. John Nygren

Nygren said an increase in heroin and opioid addictions can be traced to a surge of doctors over-prescribing opioids and painkillers.

After beginning PDMP in 2015, there was a 10 percent decrease in opioids prescribed in one year.

Through the PDMP, Kleefisch said doctors can track patients’ records with opioids and painkillers much more easily.

“We think it will help figure out who has a legitimate concern, who is pill shopping, and who might potentially be someone from another state theoretically who may be looking here for prescriptions in Wisconsin,” Kleefisch said.

The United States is home to 4.6 percent of the world’s population but prescribes upwards of 80 percent of the world's opioids, Kleefisch added.

The task force invited a doctor from India to speak about his country’s approach to pain management and prescribing medications. Kleefisch thought his perspective was “fascinating.”

“He said in India ‘we don’t have chronic pain,’” Kleefisch said. “We have tons of people who experience pain but they haven’t labeled it a disorder and don’t have the prescribing tactics that we have over the last two decades here in the United States.”

On Jan. 5, Gov. Walker called a special session to sign three executive orders into legislation that pertain to heroin and opioid abuse.

Executive orders 228, 229, and 230 address the following:

Wisconsin state agencies taking further action to combat heroin, opioid abuse and addiction.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services’ application for federal funding through the 21st Century CURES Act.

Legislation relating to opioid antagonist administration in schools;

Opioid treatment and diversion programs and providing funding;

Limited immunity for people who receive first responder care following a drug overdose;

The civil commitment of people experiencing substance abuse addiction;

The University of Wisconsin System chartering a recovery school;

Allocating $63,000 per year of the 2017-2019 biennium to the rural hospital graduate medical training program;

Allocating $1 million per year in the 2017-2019 biennium for grants to support new medically assisted treatment centers;

Allocating $500,000 per year in the 2017-2019 biennium for a consultation service for medical professionals to access addiction medicine specialists;

Allocating $420,000 per year in the 2017-2019 biennium for four additional criminal investigation agents at the Wisconsin Department of Justice focused on drug interdiction and trafficking; and

Allocating $100,000 per year in the 2017-2019 biennium to expand the screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment training program offered by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

Nygren said the executive orders will help across many different avenues with combating drug abuse.

“They cross all barriers,” Nygren said. “We’re providing more dollars for drug enforcement, providing more resources for early intervention to help identify, especially young people that may be susceptible with addiction.”

Addiction: a long road ahead

In Pierce County, where more issues are related to meth abuse, rather than heroin, Nygren said they never “specifically” said money allocated by Walker can only be used for heroin and opioids, but other drug addictions as well.

Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel said the divide between where opioids are found is large in Wisconsin. While heroin may be more prevalent in the media, Schimel said the issue of meth abuse needs to be addressed.

Attorney General Brad Schimel

“We need to think about methamphetamine again,” Schmiel said. “One of the problems have been, where most of the legislators are from, have not seen meth...I felt we needed to alert them.”

Schimel, who has served as Attorney General since 2015, has been heavily involved with drug addiction prevention in Wisconsin. Schimel is part of the opioid task force with Nygren and Kleefisch, as well as the Dose of Reality campaign.

Schimel said the Dose of Reality campaign has been trying to cut down on heroin and opioid abuse in Wisconsin, trying to get more people educated on the dangers of the drug. He said a campaign to address meth addiction is in the works as well.

“We have to get the message out to how devastatingly addictive methamphetamine is and how destructive it can be,” Schimel said.

Increasing costs in prisons and jails as they relate to inmates are an issue. Nygren said the cost of incarcerating a man in Wisconsin is around $35,000; a woman’s incarceration runs about $41,000 in state prisons. Nygren said drug courts and treatment in prison are helping but “not 100 percent successful.”

The Wisconsin Department of Corrections said inmates with simple meth possession charges increased 371 percent from 2011 to 2015. Furthermore, the number of offenders in the Division of Community Corrections with simple meth possession charges jumped 362 percent during the same four-year stretch.

On Feb. 9, Schimel, Sen. Van Wanggaard (R-Racine) and Rep. John Spiros (R-Marshfield) testified alongside the Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration and Division of Criminal Investigations at a legislative informational hearing to address the growing issues of meth abuse in the state.

Schimel said he’s confident in his administration's efforts to combat meth and heroin abuse, but it’s not going to be fixed anytime soon.

“We’ve got a lot of work in front of us,” Schimel said. “I think given the foundation we’ve laid with other officials. We’ve got some great ideas and resources. I’m optimistic. But we aren’t getting out of it fast.”

Prevention is key

Between Nygren, Kleefisch and Schimel, prevention is the biggest place to start for combating any kind of addiction.

“We need parents to understand you have to talk to your kids about drugs,” Schimel said. “We need to reach those high school students.”

Schimel said things can be “pretty partisan” in government, but addressing drug addiction hasn’t been a one-sided message.

Schimel said the federal government used to provide funds for campaigns such as The Faces of Meth and other public service announcements, but money is sparse now.

“Grants dried up (and) it went away,” Schimel said. “I’m hearing from officials that they believe the Faces of Meth campaign had an impact.”

Nygren said money has always been an issue with prevention, but Wisconsin is making due with what they can acquire.

“Hey, there’s always more money to be spent,” Nygren said. “Rather than compare Wisconsin to perfect, compare us to the rest of the states. We’re in the top few states in the nation in the changes we’ve made.”

In an effort to combine forces with Minnesota to combat meth addiction and grow a meth prevention campaign, Schimel has been in discussions with Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson for nine months.

Schimel said Minnesota will begin to take on the Dose of Reality campaign and is sharing information through memoranda of understanding. This way, the states can work together to eliminate heroin and meth addiction.

Editor’s note: This article is the second in a series by Herald reporter Matt Lambert on methamphetamine use and its effects.